6/21/16

OK, SO WHAT CHANGES ARE COMING? by Tom Brennan

OK, SO WHAT CHANGES ARE COMING? by Tom Brennan
 

Changes have to be coming today – an embarrassing 3 game sweep at home by the lowly Braves.
 
When I was a kid, top teams playing the early 1960s Mets ALWAYS killed the Mets, winning 16 of 18 or 15 of 18. A few times, those Mets’ teams won 13 of 18, which was time to pop champagne corks.  This team rolls over like a sedated seal against a similarly weak team.
So changes are coming – have to be.
Well, d’Arnaud's coming back unless he develops a hang nail & misses another 2 months. 
I’d also advocate for Brandon Nimmo, who's hit .380 with some pop over his last 40 games.
 
I’d keep Conforto, bench him for a few games until his wrist heals, start the hot Nimmo, and banish de Aza to Mayberry, South Carolina along with John Mayberry Jr.
What else? One writer wrote the following: Is T J Rivera on the disabled list??  Why won’t they bring him up?? I don’t get it.  Lifetime .300 hitter wherever he plays - plays 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, LF. Dump Campbell off 40 man roster - he will never be a major league hitter.
Actually, TJ is a lifetime .320+ hitter, with an average above .340 after 2013.  He’s added power.  He knocks in lots of runs.  But this is a team looking for proven solutions, as they hope to return to the World Series…they seem to want to avoid the experiments of last year, when they called up multiple people who failed.
My guess is TJ Rivera would succeed – I have compared him to Jeff Keppinger – and if TJ were at this point last year, he undoubtedly would have been called up already.  I just don’t think we’ll see him until September, due to this being a World Series-focused team looking for proven solutions.
Which means (given my track record) that the Mets will probably call TJ Rivera up today, just to make me look stupid.
To which I would reply: GO AHEAD, MAKE MY DAY!


7 comments:

Reese Kaplan said...

A phantom DL stint for Michael Conforto is less punishing to his ego than a demotion to AAA. Either one would enable them to move Nimmo up and see how he does. Of course, they could also just drop Ty Kelly (as have four other organizations already).

I assume it's Plawecki Vegas-bound with d'Arnaud's return and they'll keep the Hispanic version of Anthony Recker.

The whole Reyes question is moot if they went after Gourriel but Reyes costs just a prorated $500K whereas Gourriel is likely 3/$30 million. They would get more props for Gourriel as it would represent a heretofore untapped way of thinking outside the box. Reyes would be both good and bad. The baggage would be a PR nightmare, but then again no one seems to give a crap about what Bartolo Colon does. On the plus side there are many people who feel they never should have let him walk away and the baserunning speed is enticing. However, he's not an RBI guy though the so-called RBI guys on the team can't deliver unless there are people like Reyes getting on ahead of them.

Some reports have them going after both Reyes and Gourriel. That makes no sense whatsoever since Gourriel's only position is 3B and the current middle infielders are two of the more productive bats on the team, so where would Reyes play unless he's designated runner?

I have also seen reports about interest in Brandon Drury. It's interesting to me the club would consider another team's unproven players when they're not willing to extend the same benefit of doubt to their own (TJ Rivera, Travis Taijeron and even Wilmer Flores has to check the lineup card every day for the past few years to see if he's playing or not).

Dallas said...

Concerning Reyes, the Mets currently have Matt Reynolds on their roster and Ty Kelly. I find it hard to believe that spending 300k on Reyes wouldnt just strictly upgrade their bench. I think Reyes would take that deal to return to NY. He doesnt have to be a starter to be valuable. Anywhere you can upgrade your roster for minimal $$ and not give up prospects, how do you not?

Dallas said...

It's as if Davidoff is reading my mind.

http://nypost.com/2016/06/21/you-can-boo-but-jose-reyes-makes-sense-for-mets/

Unknown said...

OK guys are we cursed to be Met fans. It's like that line from GF 2 when Pacino thinking he might just be able to get out of his mob life but of course finds out he can't says "just when I thought I was out they just pulled me back in" and after over 50 years of being a Met fan and witnessing more than a fair share of God awful head scratching decisions I'm ready for another day of talking and no real decisions made and no end of excuses why we didn't. The first step they say is admitting you have a problem and Jeffy said as much the other day so what's more likely a Reyes reunion or the Cuban FA? Because of the money involved and the way we operate it's probably Reyes and actually it might just help because we HAVE to get Grandy out of the leadoff spot. Were we go from there is anybodies guess but PLEASE do something. It's scary to think how close we came last year to getting Carlos Gomez instead of YC and you wonder how things would be shaking out in the FO if that other trade went down.

Tom Brennan said...

The Yankees have long signed high profile stars on the back end of their careers rather than go the Mets' normal route, with a Matt Reynolds or Ty Kelly. if the Mets feel Reyes is reformed and really repentant, get him - he is a clear upgrade over those 2.

Doing that would be an excuse for them to not gamble big bucks on Gourriel. Reyes or Gourriel, I'd prefer the latter.

Anonymous said...

This is what I don't get from the Mets. Reyes, even if not vintage is still better than Ty Kelly, Reynolds and Kelly Johnson. He offers speed which the Mets don't have and costs less than 500k.

The Mets as usual, try to convince the fans how we need to have a team devoid of players who have had any issues in the past. WE don't care. We care about winning and if Jose can help us do that, I would gladly take him.

Jose will be booed up until he gets a hit and steals 2B. Then it will be Joseeeee Joseeeeeeeeejose jose Joseeeeeeeeee Joseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee all over again. Lets not forget, players are people too and make mistakes just like the rest of us non-sinners.

So yes, the Genius in his own mind, overrated GM should get Jose and also Gurriel. No, don't trade Wheeler when Harvey is pitching like garbabage and Matz is having elbow issues.

Worse case scenario. Sign Jose, bring up Nimmo and send Conforto down to play everyday. Those moves instantly give the Mets speed and lead off hitter which allows the Mets to use Granderson at different spot.

Reyes (3B), Nimmo LF, Walker, Cespedes, Granderson, Flores (1B), Cabrera, d'Arnaud.

Depending on how Reyes looks, you can use Cabrera at 3B where he has played before and Reyes at SS.

Better than the garbage they are sending out there every day.

Tom Brennan said...

Anonymous, I agree. Bring in Reyes. Mets passed on Sheffield for character issues in early 2000's. Yanks got him instead, and he was awesome for them. Don't make the mistake - bring in Reyes.